Dragnew posted a comment on Monday 12th January 2009 10:48am

I don't recall reviewing this chapter before, so here goes.

I've probably said this before, but I'm a massive fan of The Refiner's Fire, Time of Destiny and your other Harry Potter fanfiction. I've read RF and ToD at least twice before, but I've never read Now and Forever, so I'm re-reading everything before I do that. Now, on to the actual review part. I really like your OCs here (and am always very sad when the inevitable rolls 'round) and I'm very fond of the way you write Remus. I suppose this is just my meandering way of getting around to saying 'Great Chapter, good work'
I'm gonna stop rambling now, and get on with reading the rest.

Abraxan replied:

Thanks for the nice review!   I'm so glad you like what I did with Remus, and my OCs as well!   They were all fun to write.   I got a bit annoyed with JKR for killing Remus and Tonks off and for not developing the relationship between Harry and Remus.   Therre were riches there I wish she'd mined, but it was fun for me to take care of the problem since she didn't deal with it the way i wanted her to!

Thanks for writing!   And for reading my fics for the third time!   :D   I hope you enjoy them just as much this time through!

Abraxan

LoneWolfe posted a comment on Friday 21st November 2008 12:18pm

What a brilliant and well-plotted story! I really enjoyed having the Refiner's Fire as an explanation for Harry's extraordinary powers. I also enjoyed the variety of battles and the fact that Harry can turn into more than one animal as an Animagus. The only thing that bothered me a little was the terms of endearments used. For some reason, I can't see Harry using the word "sweetie". Or, that could just be my own personal dislike of the term. Either way, it's a very minor thing in what is one of the best fics I've read in a while. Well done!

Abraxan replied:

You never know what a guy will do when he falls in love, LOL!   Especially a guy who, like Harry, grew up with no love in his life at all.   So I think it's very possible he would say "sweetie" or "sweetheart" or something like that, possibly following an example he's seen in real life or on TV or read in books - kids with unusual life experiences like Harry do that kind of thing - they take whatever they can find as the examples they'll follow while trying to build a normal life.

Glad you enjoyed the story!

Abraxan

LoneWolfe posted a comment on Wednesday 19th November 2008 5:51pm

Absolutely brilliant thus far! I can't wait to see what happens next, but as I've been awake reading far later than I should be, it'll have to wait until some other time. (I really should have stopped two chapters back, but I had to find out what happened next!

Abraxan replied:

LOL, I know what you mean about stories that keep you up too late!   This one did that to me when I was writing it too!   Glad you're enjoying it!

Abraxan

Sond posted a comment on Wednesday 15th October 2008 8:51am

Allright after some busy times I finally finished it :)

Overall this was a great story, some stuff a bit to easy to expect if you're into fanfiction but definetly good enough to look forward to the sequel.

It's a bit late right now to start allready but I'll probably be reading the first chapter tomorrow.

Looking forward to give some comments about the sequel as well

Abraxan replied:

When I wrote these fics, I wasn't reading any fanfiction - I read canon and a few stories, then stopped reading to write my own because I hadn't found any stories that satisfied me.   Glad you liked it, but it isn't influenced by any fanfiction at all - just canon.   Glad you're looking forward to the sequel!

Abraxan

Amber Dragon posted a comment on Friday 12th September 2008 4:19pm

I have a question: Would lemon drops be considered sweets, or sours?

Abraxan replied:

ROTFL!   That's a good question! All I know is, you find them with the "sweets" in the shops, so "sweets" I suppose.

Abraxan

RockBiter posted a comment on Sunday 7th September 2008 8:18am

Ah, the end. I always hate that. Your buildup to it was wonderful, and I can't wait to read the next one.

All told, I think the only thing I wished was there and wasn't was a scene after the battle at Little Hangelton, telling what had happened to Voldemort. Maybe something showing his remaining death eaters dragging him back to the cave, or wherever it is bugs like them crawl off to hide. Other than that, it was a great story.

Thank you for sharing it.

Abraxan replied:

Since the story is mainly told from Harry's POV, it would be impossible to show that scene, just as it was impossible to show that same kind of thing in canon.  

I'm glad you enjoyed it!   You still have a lot of reading to do, so onward!   LOL!

Thanks for the reviews!

Abraxan

RockBiter posted a comment on Sunday 7th September 2008 5:34am

Another great chapter. You're very good in your use of foreign words for spells. They might not be 100% accurate, but who will ever know? I'm certainly not going to stop and look up things like that when I'm in the middle of such an exciting story. Only the most nitpicky would, and we writers just ignore them, right?

Anyway, good job. I like, particularly, that spell Malfoy used on Hermione. Well done.

Abraxan replied:

Thanks a lot!

You write too?   What do you write?

I have people who help me with my foreign words for spells.   I also use them for characters' names at times - you'll see me doing that in "The Time of Destiny" more than in "Refiner's".   Glad you're enjoying it!

Abraxan

RockBiter posted a comment on Saturday 6th September 2008 11:42am

This was a very well-written battle. Clear and believable. I like the way you're going back to subplots to pick up on action that is going on simultaneously.

Abraxan replied:

Thanks a lot!   I'm glad you liked the battle and the sub-plots!

Abraxan

RockBiter posted a comment on Saturday 6th September 2008 9:13am

Excellent chapter. I love the military aspects you've inserted into the DA.

Abraxan replied:

Thanks!   I thought they should become a "real" army!  

Abraxan

RockBiter posted a comment on Friday 5th September 2008 1:21pm

Ah, I'm 55 as well . . . till next month, anyway. It's nice to know there are others out there who are my age and also Harry fans. Go baby boomers!

Abraxan replied:

LOL!   Yup, there are a lot of us Boomers as HP fans!   And this shows how long the story's been online - I'm 58 now (holding on to that until January!) Happy birthday to you, soon!

Abraxan

RockBiter posted a comment on Friday 5th September 2008 6:54am

Very interesting twist here. I'm always surprised at the ingenious and unexpected ways fan fiction authors are able to cause trouble for the heroes. Very good.

Abraxan replied:

Glad you liked it!   That was fun to write!

Abraxan

RockBiter posted a comment on Thursday 4th September 2008 2:57pm

What with the hurricanes and the political conventions this week, I'm reading in bits and pieces as I can . . . but still reading.

You've done something that I really appreciate in this chapter. I've often been disappointed in fan fictions, because they seem, so often, to leave Hagrid out. You've done an admirable job of including him here, and your use of dialect is spot on.

On to the next chapter.

Abraxan replied:

Thanks a lot!   I'm glad you think Hagrid's dialect turned out well - it sure was hard to write!  

Thanks for writing!

Abraxan

Sond posted a comment on Thursday 4th September 2008 5:05am

Great story so far but I have one question (I'm sorry if someone else allready asked it, I don't often read the reviews)

In a story that isn't nearly as cliché and predictable as I thought, why did you make only some Slytherin studens become death eaters ? Isn't it possible that students from other houses became dark as well ? I seems very cliché to me to make only the "bad" house come out as death eaters.

No complains 'bout anything else though so I'm just gonna shut up and continue reading

Abraxan replied:

Consider the characteristics of each house.   Gryffindors are brave, not sneaky, so being DEs wouldn't fit their character.   Ravenclaws are intelligent enough to not want to have some dork like Voldie pushing them around, so why would they become DEs?   Hufflepuffs are loyal but also seem to be kind and goodnatured in general - not DE material.   I think I have a Ravenclaw boy who lost an uncle and a father in the war (who were forced to fight on Voldie's side) in ToD, so I do   have the other houses being impacted by the DEs other than just being attacked by them - but I can't see someone who isn't sneaky, underhanded and power-hungry becoming a DE voluntarily - and only the Slytherins fit that mold.   And I was following JKR's lead - sticking as close to canon as possible - and she only had Slytherins as DEs, IIRC.

Glad you don't think my story is as cliched and predictable as it might've been!   Thanks for writing

Abaxan

RockBiter posted a comment on Tuesday 2nd September 2008 3:59pm

Sorry I haven't been reviewing regularly. Hurricane Gustav has just passed through down in New Orleans, and I'm reading between news reports.

Still reading. Still enjoying. The only glitch I've noticed so far are a few errors in continuity. Once, Hermione turned up in a conversation at Grimmauld Place without actually arriving there--things like that. But those are easily fixed and easy to miss when you're writing as quickly as you must be.

Abraxan replied:

Sounds like you weren't in the path of the storm, anyway, which is good!

I wasn't writing quickly - I don't post a story until I've completed it and have had it betaed and have polished it.   Then I post a chapter a week, putting a final polish on each chapter before uploading it.   And Refiners was finished years ago - I've written two other HP novels and several ficlets as well as two original novels since finishing Refiners.   Errors  just happen in such a long, complex work, despite my best efforts and those of quite a lot of betas, far more than most people use.   I know of about four real errors in Refiners and Destiny combined, which isn't bad considering those two alone are over a million words.   If JKR can make errors such as having James and Lily ocme out of Voldie's wand in the wrong order in the early copies of GoF, or have just plain stupid errors like using "descenedents" when she meant "ancestors" with all the professional editors she had going over her books, I think it's okay that I made a few mistakes in my stories too.   And I don't change them once they're published - what's there is there.  

Glad you're enjoying it!

Abraxan

RockBiter posted a comment on Sunday 31st August 2008 4:54pm

I was just checking back to that first review, and what a pleasant surprise to find you had replied.

I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this story. I had a notion things might turn out badly with Casey, and it looks like the excitement is beginning. I like this very much.

I think I remember reading that this is your first ff. You have a real flare for believable dialogue.

Abraxan replied:

I'm glad you think my dialogue is believable - thanks!   It's my first fanfic in 16 years - I started writing fiction in the late 1980's-early '90's, writing stories for the Starman (TV series based on the movie) fandom.

I'm so glad you're enjoying the story!   Thanks for writing!

Abraxan

RockBiter posted a comment on Sunday 31st August 2008 12:37pm

Excellent twist with Rita. Good job.

Abraxan replied:

Thanks!   Glad you enjoyed it!

Abraxan

RockBiter posted a comment on Sunday 31st August 2008 7:36am

Hey Abraxan,

After reading some fine fiction by Bob and Alix, I've been searching for something new to read. I remembered them recommending yours, and am so glad I've found you here.

I don't know if you'll see this, your story having been finished so long ago, but I'm very impressed with your voice and style. You pull the reader smoothly through the story without a hitch. Also, you seem to have a firm grasp on the dreaded 'show don't tell' thing. That's a hard one to conquer, and you do it admirably. Your dialogue is wonderful.

Good work.

Abraxan replied:

Hey, I read and reply to all my reviews, no matter how old the story!   Thanks a lot for your kind comments (and to Bob and Alyx for recommending my story!)

I have two more HP novels and several ficlets all set in the Refiner's world - if you look up my name on this site, you will find them all listed there.  

I also have an original novel available now on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, among other sites.   Go to the site and search for "Lynda Sappington" (that's me) and you'll find "Star Sons - Dawn of the Two".   My HP readers have really liked it so far!

Thanks again for writing!   I hope you enjoy the rest of my stories!

Abraxan

Carolyn Jinn posted a comment on Friday 15th August 2008 1:50am

This story was great... I can't wait to start the sequel.

Abraxan replied:

Thanks a lot!

Abraxan

Daily Prophet Reporting posted a comment on Tuesday 29th July 2008 7:17pm

I'm going to keep this brief because I'm about three-quarters asleep right now, but I definitely wanted to give you credit. That's one of the more sudden reshapings of a character I've seen in a while, and you did in a throughly dramatic way. I didn't really see the life-or-death situation coming, let alone the new-look, new-power Harry, so you obviously had me fooled.



There were several other things that definitely caught my attention, especially that it was Ginny (or, probably more accurately at this point, her love) that was Harry's light in the dark. And that quidditch talk lures him back from the bring was just hilarious once I stopped and thought about it.

There was one thing I found vexing in that you never drew a clear connection between what we saw in the last chapter and the onset of the disease. It would have been nice to get a clearer picture of Refiner's Fire's causes and means of diagnosis (for example Hermione reciting a textbook definition) so the getting from Point A to Point B would take a little less assumption.

But there's no debating that move has produced a major change. The boy we saw frolicking with Casey is gone, both physically and emotionally, now isn't he. I can only assume your shaping him to face the challenges ahead (and to please this more assertive Ginny).

Anyway, very intriguing overall. The comparison to Merlin and Dumbledore, plus the new powers, makes things very wide open going forward. I look forward to seeing where you take it next.

-KC

Abraxan replied:

Credit!   COOL!!   :D Thanks!  

Yup, Ginny's love is Harry's light in the dark, the only ray of hope he sees for the future he'd like to have.   And Quidditch pulling him back from the brink - well, I just thought that was fun (and logical, given that this is Harry and Ron we're talking about), so I did it.   Glad you liked it!

The trigger for the disease in Harry's case (It's different for everyone, but there has to be a major traumatic something or other to start things rolling) was Harry removing so many memories at once, plus the extent of his grief, the depth of his depression and guilt, plus variables that nobody can really understand (similarly to the common cold or cancer in someone who lives a healthy lifestyle - sometimes a disease just IS and there's no REASON for it that can be discovered).  

One thing I truly HATE about the films (which I love) is "Info-Dump Hermione," so nope, no way would I have her being the one to explain it all.   Dumbledore either gave or will give (I don't remember anymore) all the explanation that's possible, so look for that if it hasn't happened yet.   I don't always resolve things within a chapter - sometimes (as in one thing in "Now and Forever") it's resolved MANY chapters later and not mentioned in the meantime - and that's deliberate.   And some things are never resolved because that's true to life, honestly.

It's interesting that you said the boy we knew is gone, and so suddenly.   I recently witnessed such a transformation in a young man in real life - he went from boy to man in such a short time, it was dizzying, and a major, serious event in his life precipitated it.   I had not witnessed such a thing in real life when I wrote this, but now that I have, it turns out what I wrote was extremely accurate, which is really kinda cool for me as a writer, and heartbreaking as well, because I know for real now what for those who go through such a transformation suffer.   And amazingly enough, I captured it in this story.   The good news is, both Harry and the young man I'm referring to turned into   the best possible men they can be.   I'm both proud and honored to know both of them.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!   Thanks for your fun review!

Abraxan

Sond posted a comment on Tuesday 29th July 2008 5:39am

Ok, never mind my whining about Casey dying just to have a H/G fic.
It was brilliant to think of something like that to make Harry sick and poor Casey was just perfect for it! You described her enough to let us know how Harry feels but you kept enough distance to allow us to read on without many problems.

Besides it would have been so cliché to let Harry get sick of is grieve for Sirius os you solved that very good with an OC.

Carrying on then :)
Sammy

Abraxan replied:

I'm glad you understand why I did what I did!   Thanks!   And yeah, I didn't want to write a cliche'd story.   Glad you're enjoying it!

Abraxan